“Hi, Cecilia,” he said. “I’m so sorry about all this with Henrik.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m sorry that I’ve shut you out like this. I can understand that you must be cross,
but I’m not having an easy time of it these days.”
Mikael put his hand on her arm and smiled at her.
“Wait, you’ve got it wrong, Cecilia. I’m not cross at all. I am still hoping that we can
be friends. Can we have a cup of coffee?” He nodded in the direction of the hospital
cafeteria.
Cecilia Vanger hesitated. “Not today. I need to go and see Henrik.”
“OK, but I still need to talk to you. It’s purely professional.”
“What does that mean?” She was suddenly alert.
“Do you remember the first time we met, when you came to the cottage in
January? I said that we were talking off the record, and that if I needed to ask you
any real questions, I would tell you. It has to do with Harriet.”
Cecilia Vanger’s face was suddenly flushed with anger.
“You really are the fucking pits.”
“Cecilia, I’ve found some things that I really do have to talk to you about.”
She took a step away from him.
“Don’t you realise that this bloody hunt for that cursed Harriet is just occupational
therapy for Henrik? Don’t you see that he might be up there dying, and that the
very last thing he needs is to get upset again and be filled with false hopes and...”
“It may be a hobby for Henrik, but there is now more material to go on than anyone
has had to work with in a very long time. There are questions that do now need to
be answered.”